A perfect example of early television drama. This was really radio with pictures and since it was live and anything could happen and sometimes did, it has the immediacy of live theatre as well. The actors all were a mixed bag from film and radio and the stage and they were all pretty good, hitting their marks and getting through long passages of dialogue at times.
Since the story was a mystery and had a small cast and it's known from the start that this was an inside, put-up job, getting to the bottom of the whole thing is a pleasant little journey.
Given the limitations of camera angles and space and while it's shot with the greatest of economy but is also quite effective. Sound is very good.
Watch this as a curio in the "They don't make'em like that any more" You'll be glad you did. Enjoy.

I had never heard of this story when I ran across it here on Studio One. I was finally able to track the story down in a long-out-of-print paperback (1946!) published by H.L. Mencken's American Mercury titled "Hammett Homicides". The video version is fairly true to the original. I had a hard time trying to identify the great Abe Vigoda but I believe that he is Carl, the late shift worker on the train in the opening scene. The voice is different, he being a much younger man then, but the facial structure is definitely Vigoda-esque.

This was great - would like to see more of Studio One. Will have to watch again, I missed Abe Vigoda!

Prolific character actor Stanley Ridges heads a wonderful ensemble cast in a very intriguing story with disturbing subtexts involving betrayal, malevolence and mental illness. Ridges effectively essayed many roles throughout his career including the vengeful hood “Shadow” in Winterset (1936), Alvin York’s mentor in “Sergeant York” (1941) and the traitorous Siletsky in “To Be or Not to Be” (1942). He stole the film “Black Friday” (1940) from Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi with his split personality performance. The British actor could convincingly affect an American accent, as evidenced here in “Two Sharp Knives”. Ridges sadly passed away in 1951 at age 60, but not before appearing in 8 episodes of “Studio One”. The great cast here includes nice turns from Richard Purdy as the pathetic, lovelorn murder victim, Theodore Newton as the duplicitous cop, Wynne Gibson as the hotsy-totsy gun moll, Peggy French as the confused co-conspirator and Seth Arnold as Doc. Highly recommended example of early live TV.

Season 2, episode 10.
Original air date: 14 November 1949.
A small-town police chief captures a man wanted for murder in Philadelphia.
Cast: Stanley Ridges, Wynne Gibson, Theodore Newton, Peggy French, Richard Purdy, Hildy Parks, Robert Emhardt (Mr. Carroll- District Attorney), Seth Arnold, William Lee, Tony Pellerin, Paul Porter, Richard Robbins, Abe Vigoda, Roland Wood, Charles Kuhn, Dick Martin , Frank Marr, John Vivyan, Len Lesser, William Witt, Elmer Lehr, Judith Rich and Betty Furness (Commercial Spokeswoman).
From IMDB.